Tag Archives: Canadian Romance Author

May 2023: Round Up

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Well, May flew by and it’s already the last Friday of the month.This round up includes a bunch of spring things. Like Mother’s Day, tulips, garden planning.

I love my three S’s: salad, soup and sandwiches.

The Lasagna Roll Up recipe is from Natasha’s Kitchen. It was delicious. Definitely recommend giving the recipe a try.

I order my tulips from Whistling Prairie Flowers which can be found in southwestern Saskatchewan. I have had nothing but success with anything I’ve purchased from Whistling Prairie Flowers. But be warned, they are a small operation and they sell out of stock fast! If you’re interested sign up for their newsletter so you know when stock becomes available.

So…this is my second attempt at planting a garden and I’m hoping it goes better than last year when nothing but zucchini and weeds grew. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

What I’m Reading: The Eden Series by Devney Perry. I’m on Book 3, Garnet Flats. So far, the first book is my favourite so I’ll see if I finish the series, or not.

What I’m Listening to: A Sinister Revenge, Book 7 in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series by Deanna Raybourn. One of my absolute favourite series! I’m also listening to You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon, cohost of Maintenance Phase (my absolute favourite podcast!)

Until next time…

Who else is up to their ears in yard and garden work? Loving it? Or hating?

May 2023 Book Recommendation: Hallows End by Kristen Proby

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I’m reading a lot of books with magic in them these days.

Hallows End (Book 1 of The Curse of the Blood Moon series) by Kristen Proby

Published: October, 2022

Categories: Contemporary Romance / Paranormal Ghost Romance / Witches and Wizards Romance / Small Town Romance / Romantic Suspense Romance

The Blurb:

Returning to her beloved home of Salem after a trip away, Lucy Finch can’t shake the feeling of anxiety that suddenly plagues her. Nor can she shrug off her third eye’s urging that she has a mission she must undertake—a secret she must uncover.

As a green witch, Lucy has always felt strongest and the most at home in the forest, surrounded by nature. But when a disturbing dream wakes her and sends her fleeing into the woods, she isn’t prepared for what she finds. She expected her element. Perhaps a message from spirit. She didn’t expect to cross paths with a sexy-as-sin man, straight out of a movie scene.

Jonas Morley isn’t like the other residents of Hallows End. He knows the town’s secrets, as well as Salem’s, and it has been his honor and duty to protect them for as long as he can remember. But the gorgeous witch who graces the town’s hidden border shakes him and makes him second-guess his directive. She calls to him like no other. But can he save his home and those under his care and still make her his? Or will their union mean danger and destruction for not only them but also those who live within the town’s borders?

Curses don’t discriminate, and the curse of the blood moon is the most determined and dangerous of all.

This book weighed in heavier on the suspense/plot side of the story then the character development side, which some will enjoy and some will not. I’m actually here for it. It was a palate cleanser. I’m all for character development and deep emotional dives and a reasonable amount of angst, but sometimes I just want to read a book about witches and magic and time travel and have it just be about breaking the evil curse while a couple fall in love.

Having said that, let the suspension of disbelief begin, because sometimes that’s the funnest part. Three friends. Three witches. They live in Salem. Because of course they do. Where both non-magical people and witches live in harmony. A nightmare sends the heroine, Lucy, into the woods where she meets the hero, Jonas, a male witch capable of time traveling, sort of. He needs to break a spell he cast to shield Hallows End from the infamous witchcraft trials happening in Salem in the mid 1600s. And now Hallows End exists in the 1600s but not in contemporary times.

A colourful, quick read about three friends navigating past hurts, lasting friendships and banding together against an evil entity. It that’s your sort of read, give Hallows End a chance and see what you think.

Until next time…

What’s everyone else reading?

May 2023: Charcuterie Season

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‘Tis patio season!

That means happy hour outside. Hands up if you love a good Charcuterie board as much as I do? We also love nachos. Chips and dip. Any kind of cracker you can use to scoop up some hummus. Heck, microwave popcorn. Of course, you can eat all these things year round, but everything tastes better outside.

How to build a Charcuterie Board inspiration.

Even more inspiration with Four Steps to a Gorgeous Charcuterie Board.

I’m just back from a wonderful time in Vancouver visiting family and having a lovely time that involved my granddaughter’s three year birthday party. It was as much fun as it sounds. Laughter and balloons and rainbows, which was the theme. That means next week will be about getting back into some kind of schedule and back to my work-in-progress that I haven’t thought about in a month. I may have to glue my butt to the chair.

Until next time…

Give me all your best ideas for snackin’ on the patio!

April 2023: Round Up

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We’re back from a much needed vacation. For me, vacations include time away from social media which is why there wasn’t much happening here in April. So, this round up is about our trip to Palm Springs, California. We’re big fans of California.

Palm Springs, California

This was our first time staying in Palm Springs instead of staying near the ocean. I love vacationing by the water but it’s just warmer in the desert, go figure.The desert resort city of Palm Springs lies in the Coachella Valley of southern California. It’s got a very mid-century modern vibe, which I immediately embraced.

In fact, we stayed in a VRBO that was immersed in the mid-century modern style from the architecture to the design details. I loved how the teal tones blended with the brown and orange tones. There was a tiny patio off each bedroom and a lovely landscaped yard with a view of Mount San Jancito State Park.

MCM became popular in Europe post WWII as cost effective way to move forward in function and style. A wide low footprint, flat roof lines, and an abundance of windows put the focus on blending in with nature. The style made it way to America and was embraced by the West Coast, particularly, and Palm Springs quickly became known for all things mid century modern.

Honestly, we didn’t do a lot of exploring and kept it very low key. We swam, we read, we dined. We shopped. We did do a self guided tour of mid century modern homes. Below is the Edris House. You can see and read more about this fabulous house here.

Now it’s back to reality and back to writing.

Until next time…

It’s finally looking like spring has sprung. Time for spring activities. What’s everyone looking forward to doing after a long winter?

March 2023 Book Recommendation: The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

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March is flying by, the sun continues to shine, and I have a book recommendation. I think the cover made me think of spring!

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Published: MacMillan, July 19, 2022

Categories: Romance / Contemporary /

The Blurb:

My Thoughts:

I picked up this story for three reasons. 1) It got a lot of attention last year. 2) I was looking to end my reading slump. 3) It was available at the library. Usually I don’t pick books written in first person point of view. Or books that are rom-coms. Or books with yellow covers. But I’m so glad I did. It was delightful and just what I needed. It was heartwarming. A bit ridiculous. So sweet. And, at one point, I laughed. Like out loud. Definitely recommend. Especially if you prefer reading romances without sex scenes.

Until next time…

What’s everyone else reading?

March 2023: Our Anniversary Month

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Today is our anniversary. I had planned on taking a shiny, new photo of us but we’ve been down and out with sinus colds here for the most of the last three weeks. I guess since my word of the year is space, I have to make room for feeling ill too.

Anyhoo, here we are! Looking forward to another year, one that is going to bring big changes for both of us as Jack is retiring at the end of April. More on this crazy business we call our life in May.

Until next time…

May March will good to you.

February 2023 Round Up

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The Round Up

Despite the still frigid temperatures, there is something about the light in February that warms my soul. Maybe it’s because January was so foggy and cloudy. Beautiful, but the landscape was snow white everywhere you looked. Luckily, this month the sun has been shining more often than not.

This month has been full of birthdays and valentines but very little reading. I’ve been in a reading slump and not because of the books that I picked but because I’ve been in a slump. Damn you, February in Saskatchewan. To combat that slump, I turned to a favourite author to pull me out. I picked up the first book in Nora Roberts’ The Guardian Trilogy, The Stars of Fortune. And it’s working. This is exactly the kind of story I needed. It takes place on the sunny island of Corfu. It’s fantastical. And sexy. And delightful.

The 100 Day Project

I’ve also signed up The 100 Day Project which is a free global art project that takes place online. You can follow along using the hashtag #the100dayproject. The idea is to pick a project and work on it every day for a hundred days, even if it’s for five minutes a day. I’m working on a cross stitch project that I’ve started. It’s an abstract design centred around a butterfly using leftover threads from other projects. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

I’m also brainstorming an art project for our bedroom. Very excited about that too. And Whisper Creek Book One is coming along and I’m relieved to say the words are once again starting to flow.

Until next time…

How do you pass the February days? Maybe you went on a much needed vacation? Read a great book? Baked a cake? Or watch a great show? Let me know.

February 2023: It’s Still Winter

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Winter is in full swing. There is still a lot of snow on the ground in these parts. Lots. But the sun is shining and the days are getting longer. And in my work-in-progress it’s May and spring. Writing about spring is giving me a break from winter.

My heroine, Charlotte Darcy, has inherited Darcy House, her historic family home, from her grandmother and she has plans to turn it into a bed and breakfast. First she needs to tend to the neglected and overgrown grounds. She’s hired Ridge Bennett, a local landscaper, to manage the project. Ridge has grand plans for the grounds.

Here’s my rudimentary sketch of Ridge’s vision.

I’m in a bit of a reading slump right now. I started a couple of books that I didn’t end up finishing. So, it’s been too much television and not enough reading. I need my daily break from reality and to be utterly immersed in a book. Things are looking up though, I was approved of two ARCs (advance reader copies) that I’m very excited about: VenCo by Cherie Dimaline and Homecoming by Kate Morton.

Until next time…

Who else is feeling the February blahs? And what are you doing to get through February?

February 2023 Book Recommendation: Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel

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One of my reading goals for 2023, actually my only reading goal, is to read more Canadian authors who’ve written stories set in Canada. Particularly when it comes to the romance genre, which is my favourite for obvious reasons. But I’m also looking for that criteria in general fiction too. Which led me to Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel.

Daughters of the Deer by Danielle Daniel

Published: Penguin Random House, March 8, 2022

Categories: Historical Fiction / Fiction / Canadian History / Canadian Setting /

The Blurb:

1657. Marie, a gifted healer of the Deer Clan, does not want to marry the green-eyed soldier from France who has asked for her hand. But her people are threatened by disease and starvation and need help against the Iroquois and their English allies if they are to survive. When her chief begs her to accept the white man’s proposal, she cannot refuse him, and sheds her deerskin tunic for a borrowed blue wedding dress to become Pierre’s bride.

1675. Jeanne, Marie’s oldest child, is seventeen, neither white nor Algonquin, caught between worlds. Caught by her own desires, too. Her heart belongs to a girl named Josephine, but soon her father will have to find her a husband or be forced to pay a hefty fine to the French crown. Among her mother’s people, Jeanne would have been considered blessed, her two-spirited nature a sign of special wisdom. To the settlers of New France, and even to her own father, Jeanne is unnatural, sinful—a woman to be shunned, beaten, and much worse.

With the poignant, unforgettable story of Marie and Jeanne, Danielle Daniel reaches back through the centuries to touch the very origin of the long history of violence against Indigenous women and the deliberate, equally violent disruption of First Nations cultures.

My Thoughts:

Set in the 1600s, Daughters of the Deer is a very moving and heart wrenching story of how Indigenous women were stripped of their humanity and culture under colonization. Daniel writes of Marie, an Algonkin woman, who is forced to marry a French settler, whose religious ethics clash with Marie’s Algonquin beliefs. She details Marie’s life and gives us a thought provoking look into an Indigenous woman’s experiences with early settlers that few people have heard or been taught. Daniel’s ability to intertwine those harsh realities with the details of everyday life for Marie and the community make for a very compelling and thought provoking read. This book is going to stay with me for a long time. Definitely recommend.

Here is an interview with Danielle Daniel on CBC’s The Next Chapter about her real life connection to Marie and Jeanne.

Until next time…

What’s everyone else reading?

January 2023 Round Up

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Does it make sense to say the days were long but the month flew by? I’ve been in hibernation mode, or wintering, for most of this month. I baked a couple of things, I read a couple of books and I revised a couple of scenes.

I will say that this January had to have been very pretty, a real winter wonderland. We have had lots of fog here, which is a departure from the norm, which resulted in rime frost.

Book Round Up:

I finished Eden Robinson‘s Trickster trilogy. I loved this book and this trilogy. Eden Robinson’s way of weaving carnage and humour makes for an epic read. The final instalment, Return of the Trickster, was a page turner full of magical realism, complicated intergenerational family dynamics and rich storytelling. So much happening. So many characters. Yet, manageable, if that make sense. And Jared. I kept rooting for him. Kept hoping he’d remain tender-hearted while he figured out how to survive all the time supported by a fabulous cast of fierce female characters.

I also read a book by a dear writer friend, Donna Gartshore. Finding Her Voice is a lovely, tenderhearted story of what it looks like to move forward from trauma. They’re both looking for a fresh start while keeping up the walls that have protected them after life dealt bitter hurts. They both have plans for the clinic where Bridget work and both are at cross purposes. But when Sawyer’s grief stricken daughter bonds with Bridget’s shy dog, they have to look deep to take the next step. Sweet, charming, and set in the lovely town of Green Valley, Finding Her Voice will tug at your heartstrings and have you rooting for Bridget and Sawyer.

And my book recommendation for January is Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn, who is one of my favourite authors and you can read my review here.

Baking Round Up:

I made my favourite muffin recipe, Blueberry Turmeric Muffins from Renee Kohlman’s lovely cookbook, All The Sweet Things. You can find her blog, Sweet Sugar Bean here. If you love cookbooks, Renee Kohlman’s two cookbooks are beautiful and include personal stories and I highly recommend buying either of the them. Bonus she’s from Saskatchewan!

Not shown, Salted Chocolate Chip Brown Butter Cookie Bars from the Butternut Bakery Blog. They were delicious! Will definitely be making these again.

I also made an old fashioned apple crisp, one of my very favourite comfort food desserts from The Chunky Chef.

And just like that January is coming to an end.

Until next time…

How did you fill these January days?